Tension had been rising between the European
powers for many years. The events that took place in Sarajevo in 1914,
unleashed a series of events that finally lighted a fuse which would
explode into the First World War. The key event, which started this
chain reaction was the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand,
who was the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Source A: Archduke just before he was assassinated, 1914.

The large Austro-Hungarian Empire contained many different nationalities,
including millions of Slavs. Many of these Slavs wanted to break away
from the Austro-Hungarian Empire and set up their own country. Their
fellow Slavs in Serbia encouraged this unrest. A secret terrorist organisation
called the Black Hand was set up in Serbia with the aim of freeing all
Slav people. In order to achieve this it was decided to assassinate
the Archduke. They decided the best time and place to do this was when
he visited Sarajevo with his wife Sophie on the 28th June 1914.

From the beginning of their visit the royal couple were cheered everywhere
they went. They were visiting Sarajevo to celebrate their wedding anniversary.
Security was lax as there were no soldiers on duty and only a few police.
At 10.10 am a tall man wearing a long black coat and hat threw a hand
grenade and at the Archdukes car. The driver saw the bomb coming and
accelerated his car so it missed him. The bomb bounced underneath the
next car in the procession and injured about 20 people. The damaged
car was pushed onto the pavement.

Source B: The last photograph of Franz Ferdinand taken shortly before
his death.

Even though someone had just tried to kill him, the Archduke decided
to carry on with his royal visit. Unknown to him there were at least
two other men waiting to try and assassinate him. One man failed because
he could not get the bomb out of his pocket. The people next to him
were jammed against his side. However, the third assassin was lucky
enough to succeed in killing the Archduke.

During the two failed attempts to kill the Franz Ferdinand another young
assassin called Gavrillo Princip, a 19 year old Serb, was waiting for
his chance to kill him. He was a member of the Black Hand and at first
he thought that his other friends had been successful. When he saw the
Archduke’s car go flying by he felt depressed and decided to have
a cup of coffee in a nearby cafe . In his pocket was a revolver. He
had fired a few practice shots the day before, but had missed the target.
Besides, he had never been taught at a moving target.

At 10.45 am the Archduke decided to cut short his reception at the town
hall and decided to visit a policeman injured in the bomb attack on his
car. During the journey to the hospital the car with his bodyguards took
a wrong turning. The Archduke’s driver slammed on the brakes

to try and catch up with the other car. However, the car engine stalled
outside the cafe where Princip was having his cup of coffee. Princip
could not believe his luck. He pushed through the crowd and pulled out
his revolver. A policeman saw him and tried to stop him but was hit by
someone behind him. Princip jumped onto the car’s running board
and fired at point blank range. He missed the Archduke and shot his wife.
He tried again and finally succeeded. As he died the Archduke cried to
his wife ‘Sophie, Sophie don’t die.

Source
C: ‘The Habsburgs’ by McGuigan published in the 1970s.

Franz Ferdinand
cried out. ‘Sophie, Sophie! Don’t die! Stay alive for the
children!’ His plumed hat had fallen off, and now as his attendant
tried to prop him upright he slumped over his wife’s dead body
and died.

Source
D: Princip’s statement at his trial, 1914.

The main
motive which guided me in my deed was the avenging of the Serbian people
... I am a Nationalist. I aimed to free the Yugoslavs, for I am a Yugoslav
... As far as Serbia is concerned, it is her duty to free us ... I aimed
at the Archduke ... I do not remember what I thought at that moment.
I only know that I fired twice or perhaps several times, without knowing
whether I had hit or missed.

Princip later died in prison after he had been badly treated by the
authorities. His actions lead to a chain reaction that exploded into
the First World War.

Source E: The bloodstained tunic, hat, gloves and plumed hat worn
by the Archduke on the day of his assassination